Regal Rewind
by SnarkyPenname
Summary: After losing Robin and getting sick of Henry and everyone else hating her, Regina gets tired of getting passed up on her happy ending and decides to fix it and go back and take it for herself. Regina wins, basically. (: Time-travel. StableQueen.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One:

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><p>Most wicked witches got a bad rap. She supposed it came with the territory. Even her green-eyed, green everything bitch of a sister knew people were complicated. Dorthy wasn't all good. Zelena wasn't all bad. There were two sides to every story. This one was hers:<p>

Name? Regina Mills

Occupation: Queen

Status: "Evil."

Everyone knew about Regina Mills. She was sure there wasn't a corner of Storybrook that hadn't heard a lot about her. Stories of the sinister bitch who laid waste to kingdoms. The bad mom. The heartless spellcaster who loved black and kicking puppies.

She was sure the Charmings had filled everyone in. As if their hands were clean. As if they hadn't made mistakes. As if they had ever been physically and psychologically tortured. Married off to someone they didn't love. Unable to leave without a curse. Their true love murdered by their own mother. As if they had ever had to make the same choices she had. She had made mistakes -Regina knew that. But at least she had tried to fix them. At least she didn't claim to be perfect.

Regina hadn't always been like this. So closed off. So guarded. She had had everything stolen from her. Her first true love. Second true love. Even her own son had turned against her. Choosing the Charmings over her. After she'd clothed him, fed him, risked her life for him. It had all been for nothing.

And now she was alone again. Staring down the same potion she always did when things got difficult. Eternal sleep. Regina sighed, tucking the bottle back in her pocket, wondering if the nightmares would be worth it. If it would be better than this.

She was sick of it. All of it. She had tried. She had tried so hard to redeem herself. She had brought them to Storybrook. Regina had even brought the town members she had slaughtered back to life by enacting the curse. Sure, it was for her own happy ending. Her motives hadn't been perfect. But when she had gotten her heart back, she knew why she had done it. Why she had really done it. At the core of who she was it was all she had ever wanted.

She just wanted to start over.

Regina had tried turning over a new leaf. Several in fact. She had turned over so many leaves at this point, she was sure she'd uprooted every forest in Storybrook. But nothing was ever enough.

And then she met Robin. And just for one moment. One sliver of blindness, she had let him in. She had thought she's found her second chance.

Mistake. Mistake. Mistake.

She was sick of it. All of it. Regina Mills had played by the rules and the rules had kicked her in the crotch and dumped battery acid on her. Fuck the rules, she thought. Robin could have his happy ending. And you know what? She was even happy for him. He deserved to be happy. She wanted him to be.

But she deserved a happy ending too.

Which is why that evening, she found herself standing at Zelena's final resting place. Holding the pendant. The only thing she had left of her sister. In another life, maybe they could have been close. Regina stared at the necklace wondering if things could be changed. If they could really go back and start again. If she could be forgiven for everything she'd done.

Well she was going to find out.

Regina cut her hand, pouring it over the pendant, letting the last of Zelena's magic light up the old barn. All five points lit up and she could feel the portal open, the very last of it's magic spilling out onto the floor, seeping up by her feet, leaching out of the ground and enveloping her in a white light.

She closed her eyes.

It was time for her happy ending.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

A/N: Hey, I wasn't able to reply directly, but thank you to my first reviewer! Henry will make an appearance later and she isn't doing this to get rid of him or anything, she's basically re-doing everything, but starting at the beginning. Anywhoo! Here's the next chapter! Thanks for all the reads! And just a reminder, Hateoraide will not be accepted! (:

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><p>When Regina opened her eyes, Daniel was holding her hand and they were standing on a hill. And just as soon as it took her mind to wrap her head around the fact it had worked, she saw Snow White race past her, her horse out of control.<p>

Regina didn't think, following the girl on her stallion. In another life, Snow White had been the catalyst for her misery. In another life, they were mortal enemies. In this one, she was just a little girl and she was in trouble. She swung her foot over the side of her horse and took off.

Riding forward, she watched as young Snow clung to her horse, her eyes squeezed shut as it raced forward, wild and out of control. She pulled up along side it, pulling the girl off of her horse. The young girl fell to the ground and Regina raced to her side, for the first time realizing her plan had worked. She had done it. She had sent her soul back in time.

She pulled the little girl up, brushing the dirt off of her. "You saved my life," Snow said, but Regina could not stay. She knew what happened after this. This was the moment her mother accepted Leopold's proposal. When everything changed.

"Tell no one of this," Regina said, mounting her horse and riding away.

"Wait!" Snow called from behind Regina, but she didn't stop. She had to see Rumpleshtiltskin.

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><p>"I need a spell to keep someone from controlling me," Regina waited. Nothing. Right. She hadn't met Rumpleshtiltskin in this life yet. She rolled her eyes. "Rumpleshtiltskin, I summon thee," she said dryly.<p>

"Well, hello to you too dearie! How can I be of service?"

"I need a potion. Dragon hair, mermaid scales, I have the hair from one pure of heart," she said pulling a stray hair of Snow's she'd nicked earlier.

"I see you've met the king's daughter. Pray tell, dearie, what possessed you to run away?"

"You have your secrets, I have mine," Regina said. "Can you help me or not?

A bottle poof-ed into his hand. "That's what this is about? The stable boy?"

"The potion, Gold."

"Gold," Rumpleshtiltskin mused. "It does have a ring to it." He extended te potion.

"Ah. Ah. Ah. We will need to discuss payment. Perhaps-"

"I know where your son is," Regina said, taking the potion from his hand, stunned. "We'll be in touch." Regina tucked the bottle into her coat pocket. "Oh, and tell my darling big sister she won't have to worry about me for long."

She had work to do.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three:

A/N: Thank you for my other reviewer! Y'all both rock! (:

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><p>Regina knew it would all go down tonight. If Cora hadn't already found out about Daniel, she was close. After mixing the potion, she had sent for Daniel to meet her behind the stables to run away. They had to act quickly. Who knew how long they had left to escape.<p>

When Daniel met Regina, she could tell it was him. Maybe in her younger days a cloaking or shape-shifting spell could have fooled her, but after her many years of training, she had learned to be vigilant. But it was him. Her Daniel. She could never forget his presence.

She ran to him, throwing her arms around him. "Drink this," Regina ordered, handing him the potion she'd mixed. Daniel drank it without hesitation, wincing as she had when she had taken it earlier.

"And why are you feeding me liquid fire?" Daniel said wincing as he downed the potent drink.

"It's a spell," Regina said. "It's so my mother can't control us. If she knew we were together she would have you killed. Now we have to go," Regina said, entering the bar. She went to the horses. "She'll be here any minute. We have to-"

The stable doors opened. But when Regina turned around to face the visitor, she was surprised not to see Cora, but Snow. Snow's eyes widened. "You're the girl who saved me!" Her grin set into her face, spreading wide apart.

"That's king Leopold's daughter," Daniel said. "Hello, my name is Daniel."

"Go home, Snow," Regina said. "You can't be here-"

"I knew it," a voice said from behind Snow. From behind the confused girl, Cora stepped into the bar. "You're running away with him. He's the reason you left yesterday."

"Let me go, mother," Regina said. "I don't want to hurt you."

"Hurt me? You make me laugh dear. Is this your new boyfriend? The other stable workers had so much to say about him," Cora said stepping forward.

Regina stepped in front of Daniel. "You stay away from him. We're leaving and you can't stop us."

In an instant, her mother reached her hand up, trying to will Regina to stay with her magic. "What did you do?" Cora demanded.

"Like I said, mother. We're leaving. Snow, come here, I'll take you back to your father."

"Not so fast," Cora said, freezing the girl in place.

"Let go of her," Regina gritted through her teeth.

"You aren't going anywhere," Cora said. "But he is. Make your decision, boy. You or the princess." Cora took the girl's heart from Snow's chest.

"NO!" Daniel said, as Cora held it in her palm. "I'll do what you say. Just don't hurt the girl."

"No. Daniel!"

"I have to Regina," Daniel said, letting go of her hand. "Me for her, that's the deal."

"You for her," Cora agreed, releasing Snow White. The little girl ran to Regina, throwing her arms around the once evil queen.

"You can't do this mother," Regina said when Cora had Daniel. "Please, don't do this."

"I already have," Cora said, shoving her hand into Daniel's chest. She looked back, a stunned expression on her face. "Where is his heart?"

"You'll never find it." Regina said with a smirk.

Cora lunged at Regina and the began to fight, flinging potions back and forth until the barn was on fire. "Take Snow!" Regina said. "Take her and run!"

"What about you?" Daniel said, eyes wide.

"I'll come back for you. I promise," Regina said.

She turned to face Cora. "I don't want to hurt you mother," she said, sparks and flames dancing around them as the barn began to collapse overhead, "but if I don't you'll hurt innocent people, and I can't let you do that."

"I'm doing this for your own good, Regina. Someday you'll understand why it has to be this way," Cora shot another flame at her daughter.

"I know a long time ago someone must have hurt you pretty badly. But you can't burn the whole world down for what they did to you. Not even when they give you the matches," Regina said. "This was never about me! It was always about you! It has always been about you!"

Regina shoved her hand into Cora's heart. A single tear slipped down her cheek as the black organ turned to ash in her hand. "I'm sorry," she whispered, as her mother fell, the light fading from her eyes. "I'm so sorry."

Regina walked out of the bar, the rest of it collapsing into flames, like a phoenix rising from the ashes of her darkness.

It was over. Cora was finally dead.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four:

A/N: Thanks for all the follows! You guys are great! (:

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><p>When Regina made her way back to the castle, everyone seemed to be waiting for her. Snow ran to her throwing her arms around Regina, glad to see she was safe. Regina leaned down, hugging the small girl, looking up to see King Leopold himself talking to Daniel.<p>

"Ah," here she is, the King said. "So you're the girl who saved my Snow's life."

"Regina," she said, curtsying, although she seemed quite out of place. Her skin marred with dirt and her clothes torn from her fight with Cora.

"Well Regina, I am indebted to you. I would ask for your hand, but it seems you are already taken. Quite a fellow, Daniel is. I've asked him to be knighted."

"Thank you, your honor," Regina said. "I'm sorry to say I am quite taken by my true love, but there is someone I would like to introduce you to." Her eyes flitted to the curtain to the right of them. "Zelena," she said.

Regina heard a crashing sound from behind the curtains and for the first time in this lifetime, she came face to face with her half sister. Her skin unmarred by the disease of jealousy that had so plagued her when they last met. Zelena sheepishly stepped out from her hiding place.

Zelena was good once. Regina remembered a time when her soul was uncorrupt. Like Cora before she had been burned so many years ago. Maybe all she needed was love. A family. Someone to be there for her. Regina had been given a second chance, and now it was time to give her sister one.

"King Leopold, this is my sister Zelena of Oz."

"Oz," the King marveled, forgetting all about her easedropping. "You don't say. I've heard stories of Oz, you'll have to tell me." Zelena's face brightened as she took his arm. She would help Zelena be good. If there was a second chance for her, there had to be one for her sister. She would not give up on her.

Daniel smiled, taking her hand and Regina watched as her sister and the King left to walk in the gardens. When they had gone, only her, Snow, and Daniel remained.

"Does this mean you're going to be my Aunt, Regina?"

Step mother, no.

Aunt...

Aunt she could do.

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><p><span>Three months later:<span>

The music wafted down, bouncing off the banisters, down the stairs, and into the crowded ballroom. Regina held Daniel's hand as they entered the ball, a swirl of taffeta and silk, jewels and smiling faces.

Across the room, she could see Zelena and Leopold dancing with one another. She had never seen her sister love anyone more than herself, but when she looked at the king, she knew she had been wrong about the girl with green skin. Leopold twirled her into his arms, the glistening ring on her finger beaming under the magnificent chandeliers.

From across the room, she saw Snow making googly eyes at Prince Charming. And as Daniel left to get her a beverage, she moved closer to the girl, resting a hand on her shoulder. She leaned down, sitting next to Snow, who was pretending not to notice the boy across from her. "You should ask him to dance," Regina said.

"Me ask him?" Snow whispered. "I thought we weren't supposed to do that."

"You're the princess. I'd wager you could do anything you want. Within reason," Regina amended. Didn't need the girl getting a big head.

Snow White stared at the boy nervously, looking back at her soon-to-be Aunt.

"Well go on," Regina said. "True love awaits, and all that."

"But what if he says no?" Snow asked timidly.

"He won't," Regina said.

"But what if he does?"

"He won't."

"You can't possibly know that," said Snow.

"If you won't ask him, I will," Regina said. "And you know how awful I am at waltzing. You wouldn't want me to crush his toes. Poor kid wouldn't ever be able to walk again."

"I guess if you put it that way, I'm almost doing him a favor."

"That's the spirit."

She watched Snow ask Charming to dance. The boy nearly tripped over himself when she did. Regina muffled a laugh.

When Daniel returned, they both danced, and at the end of the night, he kissed her in the middle of the ballroom as the flutes died down.

"Attention everyone!" King Leopold yelled. "I would like to have your attention please! I would like to announce that Zelena has decided to marry me." The crowd cheered and Regina found herself clapping as well.

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><p>When Regina got home, she expected Rumpelstiltskin to be waiting for her. It was all ready to go. The spell had been complete to send them back to Storybrook. This time though, they would all have their happy ending.<p>

"It's time to pay up," Rumpelstiltskin said.

Regina smiled. "Gladly."


End file.
